Where the Pyrenees slip down into the Mediterranean sea, where the vineyards come to the edge of the town, where the brightly painted houses reflect the colours of the remaining Catalan Barques moored at the Quay you will find Collioure…

In a bid to improve the efficiency (and consequently the financial viability) of the region’s public transport system, Daniel Mach, vice-president of the transport department, explains, “It’s about positioning the right service in the right place at the right time”.

As the rain clouds gathered on Thursday morning, I jumped in the car with two adventure-loving pals and headed up to the ominously-named Pont du Diable (Devil’s bridge) in Céret to meet up with our guide from Extérieur Nature.

At one point on one of your trains the driver shouted Papillion over and over and everyone quickly hopped off the train with their belongings. We English speakers did not know what was happening! In English a Papillion is a dog…but after some stressful moments my husband realised he was saying Perpignan………NOT Papillion!